Skwachàys Lodge, Vancouver

I was intrigued by the idea of a hotel/artists’ residence operated by First Nations people rather than some anonymous corporation. In person, the Skwachays is beautifully decorated, distinctly non-corporate, and quite comfortable.

Security is quite tight, which has both good and annoying aspects. It’s only a slight inconvenience that the front door is locked and has to be opened by a staff member.

Loved the themes and stories of the rooms, and the artwork in the foyer.
Liked the communal breakfast area for our group to congregate in the morning but also to meet the other travellers.

Need to make sure someone is at the desk when guests arriving as seeing all the street people is confronting at first, especially if you can’t get in, such as our friends.

Breakfast was unique and tasty! Loved the art and culture. Room was quiet.

Had trouble with our keys. Parking was very difficult to navigate. It would be helpful if those checking in could provide suggestions in the area. Safety was a concern. The block the hotel is on is sketchy. View from window was rough so we kept the blinds closed.

Excellent gent at the desk and cleaning lady. Both friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. Native art work very interesting and beautiful. Breakfast was ample and tasty. Wanted a room near the VIA station and this was perfect.

No complaints.

Hotel was lovely, with lots of displays of art created by First Nations artists. Each room has a slightly different theme. We were greeted by Rick, who gave us a history of the place, as well as advice on the local area.

The room itself was lovely, with a good shower and a nice little balcony looking into a courtyard. We had a family room, which felt a little on the small side with four people, but it was still lovely.

What was great also was that you could go up onto the rooftop and admire the view of the Chinatown Archway.

The location. I didn't know it at the time, but this place is a couple of blocks away from Canada's most poverty stricken area, East Hastings. Drug users openly shooting up are rampant on the surrounding streets, which is a bit of a shock coming from a place where open use is almost never seen.

Don't let that put you off the hotel though. It's a lovely place.

The room was comfortable and clean.
Hotel was situated close to Gastown and some nice restaurants and bars.

Not a dislike as such, but the breakfast was incredibly basic.

Bannock was delicious

the views from the windows weren't great.

Sauna, nice staff and everything was clean

The location of the hotel was very bad.

The room was comfortable and clean.
The night security man was the only staff we saw.
Our train was delayed and we did not arrive until 3am

I did not feel safe in the area after dark. There was a great deal of homeless and crack heads.
There was a man asleep at the access door that we had to step over to get inside.
We moved from a hostel and more than double the price of the room and the surroundings did not improve.
You can hear all the activity in the hall and rooms around you.
A guest was sleeping in the common room because he "was locked out of his room"

Beds comfortable. Quiet location

walkable to the city centre; spacious room; good shower

Breakfast could be more more varied, ie more fruit choice

The yogurt with fruit in jars was good. The rest was only cereal and cake. Ne.ed more food options.

Need more protein options.

The art, breakfast and staff were amazing. The sauna was perfect. Love that it’s Indigenous owned.

Location was a bit out of the way but that’s why it was good value.

Not my first time at the lodge and I’ve enjoyed my stay every time. The rooms are clean and the decor is awesome. The rooftop sauna. is a great place to relax . To either start your day or finish it off. A big thank you to Rick , our host, for all that he does. It’s wouldn’t be the same without him , he makes you feel right at home.

Downside is the homeless, but such is the streets of Vancouver theses days.

The central location

Only 4 TV channels

Staff, facilities & cleanliness was great. Breakfast was also quite nice.

Location. It's very near the safe injecting site so there was a lot of drug users sat on all the streets surrounding the property which made it feel. Quite unsafe when you left.

Many reviews mentioned a significant presence of homeless people outside (there tends to be an issue with homelessness near E Hastings Street and Chinatown). So, I was quite nervous before arriving. Upon my arrival, I did see several homeless on the same street, some visibly struggling with substance abuse. However, they didn't pose a threat, as they were minding their own business. So, I wasn't overly concerned. (so i didnt leave this comment in Cons area)

The interior design is quite cute, and It's within a 15-minute walking distance from Gastown and Chinatown, making it very convenient (has a lot of options to dine out). Even though i didnt get to checkout the facilities here but the hotel has sauna is kinda nice! The bed is very comfortable. We didn't have a chance to eat breakfast here so can't tell you if its good or bad.

The only two issue we encountered was that :
1. The water pressure from the shower head is low, def need to fix that!
2. Air conditioning would automatically turn on, and no matter how we tried to turn it off, we couldn't. We had to resort to cutting off the main power ourselves.

Security of having a fob and a room key. The breakfast was nice and lovely to have a latte brewed with fresh coffee beans.

The 5 blocks leading up to the accommodation on foot down West Pender - not clean and with homeless people. For a single older woman with a suitcase from the Skytrain on an early Friday evening was intimidating.

We had a wonderful stay. The staff are so nice and helpful. Breakfast was basic but quite good. The artwork throughout the lodge is amazing. Beds were quite comfortable. The upstairs sauna was a perfect way to end the day. We will definitely stay there again when in Vancouver.
The area around the hotel does have a lot of homeless, but not threatening. Hotel is on the edge of Chinatown and Gastown.

Our aircon wasn’t working properly, but luckily the night was cool enough to sleep.

This is a fantastic boutique hotel with an amazing concept behind it! We enjoyed our stay very much and would return again. The art in the gallery and decor in the rooms was beautiful. We also took advantage of the smudge room and sauna.

There are very minor details that could be handled better: the AC unit is not typical of the hotel industry nor are there screens on the windows, BUT they do open which is not usual of most hotels, a pleasant surprise to get fresh air

Interesting decor, exceptional staff support.
Easy walking distance to Chinatown.

The neighborhood is sketchy.--drug users present on the street at all hours, day and night.

location near Gastown

Couldn't check in until 4pm. No ice available.

Very cmfortable beds. Quiet
Artistic flair to decoration. Art gallery. Unique property. Adequate breakfast.

Extremely dusty room.
Location felt a little dodgy.
Expensive.

Great cultural hotel showing art and supporting art. Late check in but very helpful gentleman assured us as we had not booked parking. Good buffet style breakfast.

The hotel is right on the edge of a seedy part of town. Whilst not bothered by anyone it was not pleasant walking too and from the hotel and I certainly wouldn’t want any of my family witnessing it.

Beautiful rooms.

Breakfast was good but minimal.

the staff were helpful, rooms delightful and breakfast hearty.

the immediate neighbourhood was a little seedy, but everyone minded their own and were no threat.

Room good with lovely decor and spotlessly clean.

It was on the edge of a poor area. There were a lot of homeless people hanging around the doorway next door clearly drugtakers or/ and mentally ill. It was intimidating although no one threatened us I would not have been happy to stay there if I was a sole traveler.

Loved the ethos of Skwachays. Staff very friendly and helpful. Enjoyed communal spaces and meeting other guests.
And loved vibe of the neighbourhood.

Nothing.

We stayed 4 nights and got to know the day and night staff, who were so welcoming and friendly. The ambiance and décor of the hotel and rooms was artistic and reflected the indigenous art and traditions the are the foundations of this boutique hotel and art gallery. The rooms were impeccably clean. The breakfast was included and was light, with homemade yogurts, bannock and a couple of sweet loaves. Overall, this was the casual and meaningful experience we were hoping for.

The hotel was conveniently located on the edge of Gastown and only a 10-15 min walking distance from Canada Place. Be mindful that the hotel is close to an non-touristic part of town that you would not want to explore in the evenings. That said, we will stay there again when we go back to Vancouver.

Breakfast was available, a bit challenging for my daughter who has nut allergies.
Room was nicely decorated and very functional. Nice Gallery and supportive staff

Location is close to district with many homeless people, and associated challenges. Easily avoidable but certain areas not recommended.

We loved staying at Skwachàys Lodge. To start, the ethos of the hotel fully aligned with our personal values. We are artists and creatives, and deeply admire, respect and support Indigenous culture. It was so refreshing to be in a space amongst like minded people, surrounded by art and a mission to empower and inspire others. The room was just the right size for a couple - we stayed in the Tlingit Hat suite, which was well-appointed and clean. The robes were cozy and the bed super comfy. The breakfast was quality, tasty, and enough to get the day going - would appreciate more GF/non-dairy options. Coffee machine in main dining area was a bonus for that afternoon pick-me-up. Staff are super kind, helpful and attentive. We had an issue with our front door one day and Nobu assisted us to resolve this quickly (thanks, Nobu!). We thoroughly enjoyed the balcony and 6th floor patio overlooking the neighbourhood. We purchased some art from the gallery and look forward to displaying it at home with pride. Location is solid if you're taking public transportation (10 minutes to subway station, accessible via multiple bus routes, and walkable to all main attractions).

Love supporting local artists. Roo.s were clean and unique

Do not come here if you have a car! Staff has to open the gate to a very small parking garage in the back alley. There were homeless people actively doing drugs in the ally and we felt very unsafe to we returned our car a day early. They still charged us $75 for one night, where we did not feel as if we could take our car in and out without fear. Staff is friendly but don't seem to know what they are doing. Breakfast was supposed to be at 8 but all doors were closed. You have to call a security guard after hours, but he was nowhere to be found.

The hotel is beautiful. It even has rooftop access and it was a lovely place to sit and work on my computer. There is security on site most of the night and they are very kind. Breakfast was lovely and it was in a nice community space. The shop had gifts that were unique and support local artists. China town, a mall, the touristy street, Canada place (cruise ships), and great restaurants all in walking distance.

The area the hotel is in has a lot of transitional housing, so anytime I walked outside, and I mean right next store, in front of the parking lot, I witnessed a lot of drug use and some nudity. The hotel has security and they keep right in front of the entrance/shop clear, but it will be a challenging conversation with children if you stay there.

The staff was very helpful. The breakfasts satisfying. The gallery was full of beautiful art. The facility seemed very secure. We were able to walk to most of the places we came to see in Vancouver.

Unfortunately, the lodge is located in a part of the City that is inundated with homeless individuals. They roam the street where the lodge is both day and night. We paid a good amount of money for our room for four days and, although no one bothered us, it was very depressing to attempt to leave or come back to the lodge and have to pass by drugged out individuals. The City should do something to help that Lodge.

Charming atmosphere located walking distance to the Canada convention Centre and the walk along the sea front.

Very to homeless area of Vancouver - that said we weren’t approached at all just sad to see people who were in a bad place.